Medici On 57th
Categories: Bakeries, Italian, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Hyde Park1327 E 57th St
(between Kenwood Ave & Kimbark Ave)
Chicago, IL 60637 (773) 667-7394
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
34 reviews
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
"I feel like the crowd here is a *bit* different than the other LP bars. Maybe it's because it's kinda off the beaten path (hmm, should I…" read more »
69 Reviews for Medici On 57th
There's two ways to work things here: show up when it's sunny and grab a table on the rooftop deck. This way it doesn't matter what you eat, your day is already made. Route 2 is to stop in at the bakery next door for some phenomenal breads and pastries. My favorites are the croissants, fruit galettes and brownies. Pizzas are amazing too. Mexican hot chocolate is the bomb.
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Too bad these people cannot be nice...
At the same time why would they bother?!?!? They have some of the best croissants in the city and patrons are queuing all the time to get them. They even offter a special twist with their apple-cinnamon croissants which are simply to die for. Recently they even added outdoor sitting on 57th street - it's great to eat your gooey breakfast item feeling bad about beginning your day with such a ridiculous amount of calories while people-watching...
But Gosh these people are rude!!!!!!!!! I will never NEVER understand businesses who have this type of attitude. A big no-no that cost them 2 stars.
The collection of baked goods here is unprecedented in any place I've been in Chicago. I got the spinach and cheese croissant. What a gigantic croissant. Next time I'll try the chocolate croissant. I O'dd on these the last time I went to Europe.
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It's overrated, overpriced American food with a cliche 'twist'. Good milkshakes, but you can get $1 Wednesday shakes on campus. Want the same menu (plus way more choices), more food for your money, and friendly service? Go to Leona's on 53rd and Kimbark. There's more parking up there, too.
I graduated from Lab Schools so the Med is a former lunch spot from high school which I still enjoy going back to when I'm in Hyde Park. I took my twelve year old God daughter to lunch there today and she thoroughly enjoyed being able to put pepperoni AND shrimp on her own pizza as well as her strawberry lemonade. High marks from her for sure :). I had the spinach goat cheese pizza which is also delicious and filling, even in the personal size. Service was so-so but we were also there at a busy weekend lunch/brunch hour so nothing unexpected. I did not realize they did brunch though the menu for it looked a little standard -- omelettes, oatmeal and of course the croissants. For it being busy the waitress was attentive when she came through though, as another review mentioned, certainly not chatty or lingering. Definitely recommended and then wander a few stores down to the bookstore where you can browse as we did!
went last night, which was a wonderfully warm summer evening, so i was already in a great mood... we asked to be seated on the patio, pleasant and relaxing... the food wasn't stellar, not bad at all, just not quite memorable... actually, the basket of fries were GREAT, crispy just the way i like them... i had the spinach pesto pizza, which was good as was the margherita pizza... i'm stuck on the precise word to describe the food, i guess it just didn't make too much of an impression... i did like the "obama eats here" t-shirts =)
overall, it was a nice dinner and i will be returning especially since i'd love to have some coffee and dessert next door, plus it's a great place to take a walk after dinner...
Here's a cute Italian-style place with a bakery attached. I came here to have dinner one night and ordered a garbage salad, which turned out to be gigantic, not to mention delicious. There are some pretty unique and unusual drinks listed on the menu, lots of different milkshakes (strawberry banana, mmm) and things mixed with Italian sodas. I would go back just for drinks.
The decor is something else -- it's one of those places that lets you graffiti up the walls, booths, and tables. Most places I can think of that do this look dirty and scuzzy, but Medici still manages to look clean and classy, even with graffiti dating back about 10 years. Most of what I read was fairly intelligent, too -- I suppose I can blame that on U of C being down the street. The bathrooms were gleaming and spotless, though.
Hyde Park is a ways away from me, but I love making the trip down there and trying places like Medici. Next time I'm in the area, I would gladly stop in for a snack, and maybe try the bakery.
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This is one of the few places in Chicago that makes me feel like I'm in Berkeley again, which is really a warm and welcoming feeling, and that's why I love this place.
The walls are all exposed brick, scribble scrabble from U of Chicago students is all over the wooden tables and walls and there is delightful art up and down the tall ceilinged walls, including protective (or menacing?) gargoyles perched above. There is a great entrance with a swing, child's rocking horse (actually elephant) and a vibrant community notes section, and today the back of one of the bus boy's shirts said "Obama Eats Here." The relaxing atmosphere is delicious enough to make up for the often spotty food.
Medici has an adjoining bakery, so my best advice is to go for the bread, as it is nearly always very good. One of my best meals here was three warm, plain croissants on a plate with sides of butter and honey. Utterly satisfying. I remember the chicken wings being particularly not good, so I wouldn't recommend them. I would tell you to go with anything on the menu with goat cheese in it. My other favorites include Fidel's chicken soup (with bread), the potato skins and the drinks - oh the drinks! This place is worth it on drinks alone: sparkling lemonade, Mexicana shakes in the summer and hot chocolates in the winter, and the OMG Orzata, a float with chocolate ice cream and almond soda. I often come here and have only several different beverages.
I don't find the service here surly as described in some reviews, but they aren't chatty and they usually seem busy and it does take a little while to get refills. The food itself takes a little longer because they heat things up in ovens and don't use microwaves and I like it that way.
I was unpleasantly surprised by what appears to be a price increase at the bakery - two individual fruit tarts came to over $13 - OUCH! My partner wanted to just not get them afterall and I was really kind of rattled. The cashier said something about a change in tax. Whateva, that's a bit for two fruit tarts. They were yummy but the price made them a little hard to swallow.
There is a nice patio upstairs open in the summer, but I think Medici should just turn the whole top level into a coffee/drink bar with cushy comfy chairs and coffee tables. But I also guess in a perfect world I would just live upstairs and have Orzatas and fruit tarts from the bakery delivered, because I always end up wanting to go here.
WHOA. whoaaaa. did I just have something AMAZING from the Med?
Yes, yes I did. I know we UofC kidz LOVE to hate on it, and probs for good reason most of the time. It's always ok... but a little sub-par. I don't like the burgers, the steak, the chicken fingers or the burrito (though... what the hell was I doing ordering a burrito from the med?). And the salads are some of the best in Hyde Park, but I'm from Cali and will just leave it at 'they don't compare.'
But WHOA. Their milkshakes (with whipped cream, please) are soooo good. The banana-strawberry is THAT good. And their goat cheese appetizer is SUPARRR good too.
3.5 stars.
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Classic U of C hangout. Service can be a bit spotty, but it's a really convenient spot to catch a bite near campus. Decent pizza too.
2.5 stars
This is a decent place -- did not try their baked goods -- we just came for deep dish pizza and some appetizers. The goat cheese appetizer was a highlight. The pizza was good -- though one of them was quite undercooked.
The back porch looks like it would be a great place to hang out in the summer, but I was a little underwhelmed with the pizza.
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Medici restaurant: AMAZING spinach goat cheese pizza, great little house salad with mustard (or pesto) vinaigrette. The service can be surly-- once I had to flag down a waitress to ask for a water refill. She got her revenge by bringing me back a glass of HOT tap water. Mmm...
The Medici bakery next door has incredible chocolate croissants (apple croissants also super tasty) and decent coffee. Similarly disaffected waitstaff who avoid eye contact, then bark at you for your order. Snag a window seat if you can get one (there are only four little tables, sometimes people share), or take your treats across the street and make a picnic in the park there. Med Bakery does get a bonus point for allowing desperate parents and nannies from the nearby playground bring their kids in to use the bathroom there. Not everyone is down with using the "pee pee tree" at the park, okay?
One time at the med bakery I went to pour some sugar into my latte, and someone had loosened to cap on the sugar jar-- a pound of sugar (and the cap!) fell right into my latte, splashing it everywhere. To the servers' credit, they swooped right in to clean up the mess and handed me a new latte a minute later. That was nice of them.
Whyyyyy doesn't sooooomeone open a goooood pizzzaaa place on the souuuuuth siiiiiide? Apologies for the whining but...seriously...this is just okay 'za. Nothing at all memorable.
our little brunch group decided to venture south to a place recommended by many. Medici is a well-known pizza pub frequented by U of C students and alumna. the + is that they patiently waited for the whole party to arrive and continued to work on getting us seating for an ever-growing bunch. but otherwise, the food was mediocre - my huevos rancheros was unrecognizable - it was a bad breakfast burrito. and the "all you can squeeze" OJ was limited to two hard-earned glasses by an apparent lack of oranges ??? at the height of Sunday brunch?? and the silverware was bent and dirty. so, BTDT.
Your cinnamon rolls are the reason I walk on the other side of 57th street on my way to class and could be a textbook example of akrasia for my ethics course.
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Just okay. Have been a couple times and have gotten the burger, chicken fingers, and bbq chicken pizza. All were good, not great, and slightly bland. The atmosphere is fun, and it's especially nice to sit outside on the patio when it's nice out. The service is fine, and usually the place is pretty packed with a fun crowd. Prices are reasonable, portions are adequate. Like I said, I've been here a couple times because it's close to the GSB and pretty central to where my friends and I live. But it's nothing to write home about.
Among life's tragedies, I consider my late-onset gluten allergy to be among the most consistently noisome now that I'm back in Chicago. Why, you may ask? Because one of life's equally consistent pleasures when I was living and/or working in Hyde Park was the joy in tucking into the Med's blue cheese and bacon burger--rare, of course--while my best friend from my college days just as consistently ordered the chili cheddar burger and took equal delight in it. While this may offend my vegetarian friends, let's face it, a little bit of gore and blue cheese goes a long way, and enjoying the outdoors on the upstairs patio on a lovely spring day? Deliciously self-indulgent and evil. And they say this place is crunchy/liberal--fie, I say, fie!
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THE PIZZA!
so unique, and delicious. eat it once and you will be dying to go back for months! (if you make it that long)
try the goat cheese/olive/pesto/tomato or the bbq chicken.
fun atmosphere - old wood booths with graffiti all over the walls.
a good place to grab a 6pack and eat with friends.
I love that it is BYOB and the environment. I really enjoy some of their pizzas, but as far as pizza is concerned its really pretty average. Last time I was there for lunch as service was worse than usual despite not being busy. I got a grilled cheese that was far too greasy.
Its a great place to go on a nice night. You can go sit upstairs outside. Drink your own booze and socialize with friends. There are not a lot of outdoor locations in Hyde Park. Its worth taking advantage of.
note: i have only ever eaten at the Medici Bakery & Cafe, never the sit-down restaurant. i do, however, stop in no less than once a week, so though my review might be somewhat lacking, it is based on consistent patronage.
that being said, i have some mixed feelings about the med. are their chocolate chip cookies delicious? yes. do they sell ice cream in the dead of winter? yes. are the people behind the counter friendly, attentive, & don't treat you like a total pariah when you ask for something like a refill on your coffee (something other establishments have taken to charging a dollar for, or even outright REFUSING to do, forcing you - the pariah - to shell out ANOTHER $2 for a whole new coffee*)? yes. thank god.
however.
the med's coffee, though alright, affordable, & the most immediate thing available to me on my way to my weekend job, is really not that great. their trash is frequently overflowing, & certain types of bread cannot be gotten on certain days of the week. & for a bakery/cafe, there are WOEFULLY few places to sit down & eat your admittedly delicious apple turnover. the med boasts a whopping 4 tables, which are so tightly packed into this tiny bakery front that, should a crowd form, you'll find yourself shoulder to shoulder with the breakfast-pastry loving residents of hp.
the med's worth it if it's vacant (which, on the weekends, it never is), but if you see a crowd, just grab that turnover & scram. you can get your work done elsewhere.
*yes, i am familiar with establishments offering a 'bottomless cup' [see: star lounge]; no, the med isn't one of them
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Thankfully my boyfriend goes to school at the University of Chicago, b/c I love their bagels. They are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I have only had their bagels so I can't comment on anything else but very good!
You can never go wrong with the Med. It's a moderately priced restaurant with a pretty random mix of foods. The milkshakes and the strawberry lemonade (TRY IT! mottled strawberries blended with crushed ice and lemonade. Really good!) are awesome and so is the bread pudding when it's warm. Otherwise nothing on the menu is bad, but nothing is particularly special either. The pizza and burgers aren't bad, pretty good actually, but like I said, nothing is PARTICULARLY great here. You can leave your mark on the walls and tables too, so bring a sharpie! BYOB
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What a gem. We had lunch here the other day, I got the blue cheese burger. It was fantastic, we started out with goat cheese appetizer, yummy as well. I tasted the pizza and that was great as well.
Service was great, it took a little while to get seated, but what can you do!
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I don't know where these good reviews come from. I don't know where these people are eating, but it sure isn't the restaurant where I'm eating.
The food is all out-of-the-bag stuff. I've had a burger here, and it wasn't even mediocre. It was bad. I got the chicken fingers. There was no flavor. The fries tasted like plastic. This is probably one of the worst places in Chicago I've eaten since moving here in March. Not to mention it's overpriced for the portions and quality.
The only GOOD thing here was the drinks ... a delicious float. That's the only thing worth going here for.
The waitstaff is slow and unfriendly. I sat for 15 minutes before getting waited on, and then it was incredibly impersonal.
You'd be better off going down the street to Subway or just eating some grass. Good luck getting good food here.
AMENDED: The bakery here is delicious. The tarts are to die for and even worth the price. I'll add another star or two, simply for the fact that the bakery is good and the staff there is wonderful. In sum: AVOID the restaurant, hit up the bakery!
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The three stars are for the food. Their goat cheese pizza is the best. That alone makes it worth visiting Medici.
Now, the minus two stars is for the service. I have been there many times and the service can be a hit or miss. I have experienced pleasant to terribly rude wait staff.
Wish I could give 5 stars but the service leaves much to be desired.
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They get 5 stars for the Cinnamon rolls! Best in the city hands down.
I honestly dont think the food is all that great, but back when I lived in Hyde Park me and my friends would always just chill in this place and mark up the tables and walls.
Milk Shakes are also good (I have a serious sweet tooth)
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I love the spinach-goat cheese pizza.
Medici is a cornerstone of the 57th Street corridor through Hyde Park. I have been through the menu countless times in the past twelve years, and there isn't much that I wouldn't order again. The menu is both meat and meatless friendly; although the food is a bit greasy, I consider this to be one of the more interesting diners throughout the city.
Want a unique, cheap, tasty dining experience? Go to Medici. Did you just leave a concert in Hyde Park and want a snack? Go to Medici. Need lunch after spending the morning at the Museum of Science and Industry? Go to Medici.
Check out the sweet treats; I recommend the Mexicana shake in the warmer months. It's thick, rich, and goes perfect with anything else on the menu!
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The food is pretty good. Try the Spinach Goat Cheese Pizza, a bit oily, but tasty nonetheless. And I'm obsessed with their sandwiches also. And their desserts. And their hot chocolate. And their almond croissants. And their everything. Although the sometimes snappy service, I could do without (especially at the bakery).
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These stars reflect my rating of the BAKERY, next door, which is not listed separately. I love everything about restaurant except the food. come on guys- it's easy to make a decent salad, for God's sake.
Anyway...
Medici's bakery has the BEST croissants and pain chocolate in Chicago! In fact, I haven't found better in the whole of the US except for the Korean bakery (go figure) at north gate in Berkeley, CA (go bears!). Sorry Tartine, SF. They're really buttery, light and flaky. More dense in the center, just like they should be. Best when warm, of course. And amazingly, I think Medici's uses a European chocolate in the pain chocolate. I don't think it's 70% cacao, but has a nice bite and texture- the chocolate separates a bit when really warm which is what it is supposed to do. Both pastries come close to matching my favorite patisserie in Paris' 9eme Arrondissement.
Buy too many? Freeze em- they heat up in the toaster oven quite well. Don't be dumb and put em in the microwave, geeze.
So why only 4 stars? Because it is surprising, given how good the croissants are, that Medici's is just like every other place in Chicago when it comes to the baguette- they can't get it right :(
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The crust on our first pizza was a little doughy and undercooked. A soggy crust can really bring a good pizza down. The crust on the second pizza was better. The toppings were fine (we had the garbage pizza) but nothing special, and the sauce was tasty. This was not the best pizza of my life, but it was superior to any of those pretentious sauceless cheese toasts they call "pizza" in the Bay Area.
Our server was awesome. She messed up an order slightly, caught it herself, and gave us a free pizza. She was so nice, I would return simply because of the service.
This was a pleasant, casual and unchallenging dining experience.
This place is great! I was taken here first by a friend from U of C. The pizza is awesome and the Reuben is a glorious delight. Honestly, outside of Manny's, this is one of the best Reubens I've had in Chicago.
Medici (the Med) is a charming place, that easily compliments Hyde Park's low-key business districts like 57th Street. The diverse and intellectual crowd is part of what makes this place such an institution here. Places like the Med really set Hyde Park apart from the rest of Chicago.
Warm and inviting, the upstairs is great for more personal conversations and the downstairs small booths are great for a lunch or dinner date. The friendly grafitti on the wall is a reminder that this place is mostly frequented by college students, with advice in the men's room about veganism, anarchism, and other assorted slogans. It cracks me up, because these slogans anywhere else would come off as confrontational and abrasive... but here it almost seems like the campus revolutionaries are ASKING you if you would like to help "smash the state".
If you are on the South Side and crave good pizza, sandwich, a float, or a good milkshake, this is your best bet.
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Loved it from the moment we walked in... What a great place! Authentic university cafe. We showed up about 10:50am on a Saturday & sat down at the last table in the place. Huevos rancheros were served with some of the best fried potatoes I've ever eaten. Also ordered a very large "Insalata Kimba" with turkey. It was delicious, but could have been smaller. I think it could easily have served 2 people. Very comfortable environment, very good food. What's not to like?
I used to love hanging out at Medici when I dated a girl who lived in Hyde Park. Sadly, the amazingly friendly service and the fried ravioli were not enough to keep us together. Now I only get down here once in a while, but it's always a treat. It's always a trip to take in some of the graffiti carved into the booths and tables. Pretty witty stuff, and charmingly, most of it manages to be PC.
The last time I dropped in was late, so I nabbed a bowl of Fidel's Spicy Chicken Soup, which, I shit you not, was exactly like the soup my grandmother used to make. Spicy broth, little shreds of chicken and vegetables, all sorts of delicious. I washed it down with an Orzata Shake (and almond Italian soda with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and whipped cream). That shake more than made up for the cost of gas to get down there.
I know I haven't seen you often, Medici, but when I do get to spend time with you, it's wonderful.
I've been going to Medici since I was a kid. In nearly two decades, I've never once been dissatisfied. Here, let me spell it out for you:
Best pizza in Chicago.
Best appetizers in the Chicago.
Best waitstaff in Chicago.
With the exception of the Museum of Science & Industry, it's the only reason I ever go to the Southside. The atmosphere is warm and laid back, sort of 'collegiate hip'. Great first date place....
In the summer, you've got to hit the outdoor patio on the second floor. It's open but cosy.
Just so we're clear Medici isn't "one of the best", not "top five", not "great". Medici is THE best pizzeria with THE best pizza in the midwest.
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I could not understand how there could be so much graffiti in a place without any profanity in said grafiti. People went to the trouble of writing "Heck Yes" on the wall. Don't worry, the bathroom grafitti is filthy as hell (as is the bathroom itself, da-da-ching).
We had a bbq chicken pizza and a bunch of salads. We were very glad we had the salads because they prepared our stomachs to soak up the exceptional richness of the crazy thick crust and cheese.
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this place is one of those places that all u. chicago students eventually make their way to. i think the burgers are great and the pizza is pretty decent. mmm...garbage burger. i also like their drinks...milkshakes and lemonades and hot drinks..all are good. the vibe is nice..darkish, tables that you can scratch up and write on, very college feeling.
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The bacon and barbeque burger is so good it's like hooking up with your high school sweetheart again, right there in the middle of Medici's booths. The garbage pizza is also a staple of many a UC student. But that BBQ burger. That's what really did it for me.
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I've only been here once and can't wait to come back.
The menu looked delicious. The staff was nice. And there were plenty of happy families.
It's always fun to visit a neighborhood place with history.
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(Bakery Review) FIVE STARS!!!! Why?! B/c I literally licked the crumbs off my hand after eating their chocolate croissant. and this is AFTER eating a pancake stack and an enormous omelet at the original pancake house down the road. and it's only 10 am. and i'm not a big girl. that's why.
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